ice house advise

[Mark Gangl]

i am turning a camper into a fish house, my question is there is some rot in the back and i need to redo it anyway so where is the cheapest place to get one of those big doors i could instal instead of a wall. I'll go 2 door side open or 1 piece fold down. any advise on which works best/ doing this? also what kind of setup would be best for the holes? sleeves for them?

[lookin4fish]

2 places i know of...fishhouse supply, you can look them up on the web, and milaca unclaimed freight in milaca mn (they have a HSOforum wiht a phone number, but not any pictures and ordering on the net, but i bet they would send you one if you asked. i think both places only have the standard swinging double doors, not the big flip down style. for holes, catch covers are good, they also have those on the HSOforum listed above. they have nice sleves you can bye, but they can also get pretty pricey. there isnt much alternative out there for cheaper either. otherwise you can cut the bottom of a 5 gallon pail for sleeves, but then you have the trouble of sealing them up when going down the road. good luck with your project. you wont realize what a project you have till 200 hours later,10x more money than you thought you would spend,and finally able to crack your first beer and actually fish! keep everone updated, and post pictures if you are able.

[federline]

A group of us are also making a 40 year old 12-foot camper into a fishhouse since we got the unit for cheap. Ours had rot along the bottom, too. We ended up jacking the shell off the frame, replacing the floor on the frame and the baseboards on the shell. We never considered reframing the back and making it into a toy hauler, too - this is just a low-cost experiment for us right now.

As for spanning the distance between floor and ice, we will are considering building some hinged box-like tubes with pink foam insulation glued on that we can put into the holes from inside the house - the holes will be square, bigger than the auger holes. We considered catch covers with sleeves, but the expense was not in line with the project's status as low-cost "experiment". We also found that we couldn't fit catch covers into half the places where we want the holes.

Another really cool thing I discovered on our frame, and it may be the same on yours - with some hardened receiver hitch pins and hardened washers, I could replace the bolts holding the leaf-springs on the frame and have a "quick-release" axle assembly, which would bring the house interior floor down to within 6 or so inches of the ice. The bolts and the hitch pins are the same exact diameter.

[Mark Gangl]

never thought of the hitch pin ideal. i have fished with a guy that removed his axle. I think for this winter it will be fixed then maybe next year make the door in the back. For now there is too much stuff im considering leaving such as sink and fridge. It would make alot of room downsizing but i'm thinking of the practical side sor a summer fish camp. Ever think about making just 1 big hole to put 2 angling holes in? I seen it done but that was a cramped camper. Would that increase heat loss alot? I already thought of the foam box ideal and i think that sounds best. If not 1 big hole how close are your holes together i was thinking 12" minimum between holes? who has what?

[federline]

Quote:

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Ever think about making just 1 big hole to put 2 angling holes in? I seen it done but that was a cramped camper. Would that increase heat loss alot? I already thought of the foam box ideal and i think that sounds best. If not 1 big hole how close are your holes together i was thinking 12" minimum between holes? who has what?

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We gutted our camper, and are planning six holes - three across the front, three across the back. Three bunks (two along side in back, one across the front). We're salvaging the Hydro-Flame exterior exhaust & intake heater, the icebox, and the fixtures - rebuilding the interior.

The camper is 7 foot wide. The holes are about 13"-15" wide, so we have at least 1.5 feet between holes - but remember, we re-framed (2x4 and 2x2 treated), re-covered (5/8" treated ply), and insulated our floor, so we had the luxury of putting extra hole framing in place where our holes will be.

This camper was previously a fish house, too. The hardwood ply that wasn't rotted in was reasonably strong within a foot of each old existing hole - it will have a to be a judgement call from you after you cut the first hole - it will depend on how close the nearest steel frame member is and the condition of the ply.

Good luck!

[Mark Gangl]

well it seems really strong. i am working around the frame so i dont have to modify that. i was talking ideally how much space should you have between 2 holes. in a portable i've crowded 4+ holes and fished out of them all but im worried about tangling and stuff. it will get some mods next summe but im affraid not enough time with deer season right here and after that less than 2 weeks and can try it out. Did you leave your bathroom? is there any better systems than a camper style toilet?